That'll Be the Day
From BeatlesWiki
That'll Be The Day is a Buddy Holly song that was covered by The Beatles while they were still under the name The Quarry Men.
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Recording and History
The song was recorded in Spring or Summer of 1958 on a 78 RPM acetate disc. It is the first recording to feature Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison playing together. It was recorded at Percy Phillips' home recording studio. The song was recorded with all tracks going into a single microphone, then quickly cut to disc. In an effort to reduce cost, Percy Phillips recorded over the tape that was used for all the people who paid to use his home studio. The disc cost seventeen shillings and sixpence to make. The band only had fifteen shillings, so Phillips held onto the disc until they could come up with the full amount. Originally, they shared it. As Paul McCartney said in the Anthology book, "When we got the record, the agreement was that we would have it for a week each. John had it a week and passed it on to me. I had it for a week and passed it on to George, who had it for a week. Then Colin had it for a week and passed it to Duff Lowe - who kept it for 23 years." John Lowe kept the recording in a sock drawer until 1981, when it was suggested to him that it might be worth som money. It was valued at Sotheby's. As John Lowe said, "Before midday on that Sunday Paul McCartney had called my mum in Liverpool. I eventually spoke to him on the phone and we had long conversations over the next few days because he wanted to buy it from me. I was living in Worcester at the time and he sent his solicitor and his business manager up. I deposited the disc in a small briefcase at the local Barclay's Bank and we met up in a small room the bank kindly let me use. The deal was done, I handed the record over and we all went home." It is not known what Paul paid for it. However, it is known that John Lowe originally rejected an offer of 5000 pounds. The disc was first heard by the public when it was played during a documentary on Buddy Holly in 1985. Soon after, it began to circulate to bootleggers. It was finally legitimately released on disc in 1995 on Anthology 1.
Recording Sessions
- ?? ??, 1958: That'll Be The Day and In Spite Of All The Danger, The first recording which The Quarry Men were aware of, was recorded. →
Personnel
The Quarrymen
- Lead Vocals: John Lennon
- Rythm Guitar: John Lennon
- Backing Vocals: Paul McCartney
- Rythm Guitar: Paul McCartney
- Lead Guitar: George Harrison
- Piano: John Lowe
- Drums: Colin Hanton
Production
- Engineer: Percy Phillips
Available On
- Anthology 1, 1995.
Available Versions
- Unknown Take, Spring/Summer 1958 (Anthology 1 and Bootlegs)
- Get Back Sessions, January 9, 1969 (Bootlegs)
